News

Apple posts iPhone battery replacement details

By Charles Starrett ● Monday, July 2, 2007

Apple has posted details of its iPhone Out-of-warranty Battery Replacement Program. The program, which costs $79 plus $6.95 shipping, takes three days and clears all data on the iPhone — Apple suggests syncing your iPhone to back up your contacts, email account settings, text messages, and more. The iPhone’s lack of a user-replaceable battery has been a concern in most reviews of the device.

Comments

1

This is assault with battery. What’s Apple thinking? We lose our phone for three biz days AND WE LOSE THE DATA. Then we pay $85 for the inconvenience. Apple should be ashamed of themselves.

Posted by Phil Bunton on July 2, 2007 at 3:37 PM (CDT)

1

Is it possible for Apple to keep the iPhone “docked” while changing the battery and thus not lose any data?

Posted by Everyperson on July 2, 2007 at 3:48 PM (CDT)

1

Uh, or you could just use AppleCare, which is $59 for three years and covers the battery. Turn around time is, again, about three days. If you can’t take it, there’s a $29 loaner available.

Integrating the battery is a Good Idea. It makes the whole device more structurally sound and allows for extreme micronization. If you like the size and build quality of the iPod, you have to accept the integrated battery—the two are intratable. As intractable as a send-away plan for the battery failure, which is about 18 months away, if you’re unwilling to do the work yourself.

Posted by dasmb on July 2, 2007 at 3:49 PM (CDT)

1

dasmb: the point on size I can accept, but the concept of structural soundness…no way. I’ve never had ANY problems with my BlackBerrys or with my prior PDAs, all of which had a user-removable battery. My 8700g’s been dropped a couple of times onto hard surfaces, and aside from the battery door coming off once and the Li-ion cell popping out, it’s as structurally sound and functional as it ever was.

Hardwired battery integration, IMO, is a POOR idea. Extra batteries have been a staple for me because a charger isn’t always practical or even possible to use. Granted, these instances don’t happen very often anymore as they did with my last PDA, but even with my BlackBerry I’ve had to do a battery swap a little as a two weeks ago when I was on the road.

Posted by flatline response on July 2, 2007 at 4:16 PM (CDT)

1

Why didn’t apple put a back battery like any other PDA?

Posted by dealfreak on July 2, 2007 at 4:43 PM (CDT)

1

I am a heavy phone and data user of my current Treo 650 that has a removable battery and I have not had the need to once, in the past 16 months (nor did I need to in the two years I used a Treo 600 that did not have a removable battery but was just as big as my 650).

Dock at desk, car charger in car (or in laptop bag when on car trip), and normal charger in laptop bag.

So if I am at my desk for extended periods its in the dock, and answer phone with bluetooth headset. When in car its plugged in to lighter, and answer with my bluetooth headset (as you really should not be driving with a phone on your head, nor playing with crap on the screen while driving), and if I am in the airport waiting for connecting flights with the iPhone it basically would be laptop is plugged into wall, and iPhone plugged into USB port, lighter in rental car, etc.

If you use a smart phone you should be use to similar practices and talking with a number of people in the IT field I deal with every day, Treo, Windows, Blackberry users all have the same habits on cable/charging usage, and none of them have “spare” batteries they carry around. As half the time you need a special charger to charge a spare battery, so you end up with extra baggage not less. So where do you charge your spare battery when your other one is in your phone?

Posted by never on July 2, 2007 at 4:43 PM (CDT)

1

Its a standard sim card, take the sim card out, put into cheap phone for the 3 days your iPhone is gone, and you still have your incoming/outgoing calls. Likewise what is the big deal about your data being gone, as you should probably be syncing it anyway, and more so before you ship any system off to anyone… phone, laptop, computer, etc.

Posted by Oh... on July 2, 2007 at 4:45 PM (CDT)

1

I think the more prudent course of action for Apple would’ve been an in-store arrangement with AT&T that would’ve allowed a customer to drop the phone at the wireless store, where it could have been shipped at no charge to the customer. The customer, meanwhile, receives a loaner phone and a guaranteed turnaround time of 2-3 days.

This is the first time in this iPhone craze that I feel Apple has dropped the proverbial ball. I’m not surprised by the $79 price tag, given the elevated cost of things like accessories and the phone itself, nor do I quibble with the integrated battery. But I think the replacement program could be handled better.

Actually, what I had been hoping for is that these 2,000 new AT&T employees would be trained on how to handle the physical replacement themselves, so it could be done quickly in the store.

Posted by Flippy Hambone on July 2, 2007 at 5:16 PM (CDT)

1

“This is the first time in this iPhone craze that I feel Apple has dropped the proverbial ball. I’m not surprised by the $79 price tag, given the elevated cost of things like accessories and the phone itself, nor do I quibble with the integrated battery. But I think the replacement program could be handled better.”

Keep in mind this is AFTER warranty expires, not during. If during the warranty you want a loaner phone its $29, but I still think a cheapy little Nokia bricklette phone with your sim card to handle your phone call needs for a few days would make more sense for most. Likewise you can extend your Applecare for $69 and would cover the phone and the battery replacement for longer than the stock warranty. Again the $79 is out of warranty repair.

Posted by Keep in mind. on July 2, 2007 at 6:15 PM (CDT)

1

If you use a smart phone you should be use to similar practices and talking with a number of people in the IT field I deal with every day, Treo, Windows, Blackberry users all have the same habits on cable/charging usage, and none of them have “spare” batteries they carry around. As half the time you need a special charger to charge a spare battery, so you end up with extra baggage not less. So where do you charge your spare battery when your other one is in your phone?

Questioning my intelligence, are we? First off, I typically don’t carry a laptop when I travel, so no USB port is available. Traveling to construction sites usually doesn’t require it. I DO however carry my BlackBerry’s AC wall wart with me. A bit smaller that a laptop, I might add. Overnight is when I charge the battery(s), and I use the phone itself to do it. And as for ‘excess baggage’ (kind of like this post), just how BIG do you think a spare cell phone battery these days is, anyways? About the size of a CF card, perhaps? You think?

Amazing how simple this is to do when one has something as basic as a accessible battery compartment, isn’t it?

(BTW, I don’t work in the IT field. Not all smartphone users do, in case you’re not aware of that little tidbit.)

Posted by flatline response on July 2, 2007 at 6:49 PM (CDT)

1

How about this for a great idea: In-store battery replacement while you wait. The job can’t take more than five minutes and Apple Stores do have what they call a ‘Genius Bar’. A ‘genius’ should be able to change the battery in five minutes or less.

I suspect Apple just wanted to get something out there so that there would be answers for what people are anticipating is going to be a problem.

I also suspect that by the time people start needing battery replacements, Apple will have set up an in-store option at their retail locations as well as the AT&T company stores.

Whereas people can go three days without their iPods before entering shock, people would surely die if they were without their iPhone for three days.

Posted by YouKnowItsTrue on July 2, 2007 at 7:04 PM (CDT)

1

I have an answer for anyone unhappy with the battery replacement policy: Dont buy one. If thats not acceptable to you then dont even bother putting yourself in that situation a year + down the road.

Additionally, this is what it is people. Apple never said there would be a removable battery so complaining about an option that never existed is futile. You can prefer there be one but too many are crying about it. Do we get mad at a Ford for not making the Mustang sedan?

Posted by Jordan on July 3, 2007 at 1:42 AM (CDT)

1

“If you like the size and build quality of the iPod, you have to accept the integrated battery—the two are intratable [sic]. As intractable as a send-away plan for the battery failure, which is about 18 months away, if you’re unwilling to do the work yourself.”

To paraphrase “The Princess Bride”, I do not think that word means what you think it means. In one context, it means, essentially, unable to be trained or changed. In another context, it refers to something serious that can’t be alleved or cured.

So, while I’d argue that “intractable” is quite apropriate considering Apple and its fans, don’t think that was what you were going for there ;)

Posted by Code Monkey on July 3, 2007 at 6:27 AM (CDT)

1

I have an answer for anyone unhappy with the battery replacement policy: Dont buy one. If thats not acceptable to you then dont even bother putting yourself in that situation a year + down the road.

“Additionally, this is what it is people. Apple never said there would be a removable battery so complaining about an option that never existed is futile. You can prefer there be one but too many are crying about it. Do we get mad at a Ford for not making the Mustang sedan? “

I could not agree more. Apple did not hide what you would and would not be getting with this phone or what you could and could not do with it.

This is a unique piece of equipment that does a lot of very cool things, easily. Apple (or anyone) can not be expected to hit 100% of the users needs, 100% of the time. If the iPhone doesn’t fill your needs, the world is full of other smart phones.

Posted by iphoner on July 3, 2007 at 9:34 AM (CDT)

1

Jordan and iphoner, I think I was pretty clear about not having any misgivings about the integrated battery. Personally, I like that it’s secure in there—I’ve had a couple of phones where the latch mechanism or button failed and the battery had to be “restrained” by the ever-sophisticated and sleek duct tape.

And I don’t generally have a complaint about the replacement policy (since, after all, it is the out-of-warranty protocol) except for the fact that it could be better facilitated in an AT&T or Apple Store. The consumer who loses his phone for three days minimum should be able to get a temporary replacement or should have the peace of mind that would come with an in-house, drop-off/pickup program.

Jordan, I’m terribly sorry you don’t like the complaints. But maybe it’s best that you take heed of your own advice: if you don’t like the complaints, don’t read and respond. Just as no one’s forcing you to purchase an iPhone, nobody’s forcing you to accept the opinions disseminated here.

Posted by Flippy Hambone on July 3, 2007 at 10:09 AM (CDT)

1

A couple of things.

1. Save for a few “bad” batteries, these things will last for a few years before they need to be replaced.

2. By the time your 1G iPhone needs a new battery, you’ll probably be in line again to get the 2G or 3G model.

So is it really that big of a deal?

There are lots of things you can complain about (why isn’t the damn phone unlocked so you can use it with any carrier for instance). Steve-O isn’t stupid - he knows where to hold back to get more $$$ out of us. Do you really think an iPod would be that much bigger with an FM radio built in? No. They just want you to drop $50 on the crappy little FM tuner built into headphones.

I love Apple and am a Fanboy - but the bottom line is that Apple is in business to make $$$$.

Posted by TechnoGeek on July 3, 2007 at 12:09 PM (CDT)

1

I love the iphone. Moved from a Blackberry which I had to charge every 3 days or so. I am having to charge the iphone every night and am not using the ipod music feature. Is this normal?

Posted by Ed HEys on July 5, 2007 at 7:02 PM (CDT)

1

Don’t they just give you a refurb or next best thing refurb when you send it back?

Posted by Manaka Junpei on February 6, 2008 at 1:08 PM (CST)

1

Since the “battery replacement” is simply taking your current iPhone and replacing it with a refurb (as mentioned above), why can’t Apple and AT&T make this simple and just have a supply of refurbs at local Apple and AT&T retail outlets?

Posted by JB on April 28, 2008 at 5:11 PM (CDT)

1

It’s not out of the question that you actually get your original phone back with a new battery in it. That’s what they do with iPods that have Apple engraving on them for example.